R & D Project 3

Project Title: Study on Peripheral Blood, Bone Marrow and Umbilical Cord stem cells for differentiation potential into islet like cells.

Objectives
1. To isolate mesenchymal stem cells from Peripheral blood (PB), bone marrow (BM) and Umbilical cord blood (UCB) derived from donors.
2. To grow the mesenchymal stem cells in specific media and differentiate them into islet like cells.
3. To expand the cells in vitro - possible application for clinical use.

Abstract
Stem cell-derived insulin-producing cells may provide a rational tool for treatment of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Previous studies suggest that either embryonic as well as adult stem cells can serve as potential sources of cells for therapeutic applications. Application of autologous stem cells-derived insulin-producing cells is a potentially attractive strategy and may serve as a means to overcome many of the major issues that can complicate cell-based therapies, such as immune rejection and shortage of suitable donors. To this end, human bone marrow, peripheral blood and umbilical cord blood represent valuable sources for provision of various types of autologous stem cells. Based on previous, peripheral blood, bone marrow mesenchymal cells and cord blood works, we try to culture, differentiate and expand the cell population obtained from human peripheral blood, bone marrow and umbilical cord into insulin-producing cells (IPC). The application of autologous IPC may provide a promising approach for the treatment of diabetes.